Last night the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series and, as the daughter of a dad who grew up on the south side of Chicago and had a Cubs Shrine for most of my childhood, I cried. I cried for my grandfather who, though a Cardinals fan, took his family to Wrigley Field on the weekends, for my dad who never lost faith in his Cubbies, for the Cleveland Indians who have had their own long drought, for the city of Chicago, and for a country hungry for something to celebrate in what has been a year full of dismal, sad, and disturbing news.
For 108 years, Cubs fans have kept the faith and gone along for the ride, trusting that their day would come once again. 108 years! Entire (very long) lives were lived without seeing that day. And that got me thinking about faith, a topic I’ve been returning to a lot lately.
I chose Faith as my word for 2016 and, as I should know by now, be careful what you wish for! But, really, it has been the perfect word and reminder for a year in which I have had to repeatedly remind myself to let go, trust, and just do the next right thing. As I watched this World Series, the managers of both teams played bigger roles in the game than I remember being aware of, though anyone who follows baseball on a regular basis would probably tell me that the managers always play a huge role. I watched as key decisions were made, second guessed by armchair coaches and fans, and then either worked out as planned or didn’t. Both managers were doing what they perceived to be the next right thing and then had to let go and have faith that their players would make it happen.
Six months ago, I had just returned to Albuquerque from a month in LA and two truly transformational workshops at MITT (mittraining.com). The idea of changing my whole life for the sake of making a change and because I love the quote “if you’re not happy where you are, move. You’re not a tree,” was beginning to take root and I began to take small steps to make the life I envisioned a reality, one decision at a time. How? I made a list of what I wanted and then made decisions based on that list. I want to be happy, near the ocean, work on set less, make more money, be part of a larger, creative community, expand my social circle, swing dance, learn to surf, treat it all as an adventure, say yes, play, let it go, build a life through action not reaction, trust my gut, ask for what I want, wake up feeling rested, cook healthy food in my kitchen, laugh at myself, the list goes on and on and on.
And, six months, one Western, and a World Series later, here I am, back in LA, the manager of my own life, checking things off that list, making the next right decision for myself and then letting go, trusting, and choosing to have faith that my players (the universe) know how to get it done.
This post is dedicated to my dad, who has always kept the faith!
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